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Chapter 8

It was dark by the time Neal walked up to the Burkes' home. The light streaming out the front window was especially glaring. He glanced down at Satchmo but the dog only gave him a bland look. "I don't suppose I'm going to get off easy huh?" Neal asked rhetorically. Satchmo simply trotted ahead to the door. The teen sighed and hesitantly opened the door.

Upon hearing the door three people shot up from the spots on the couch. Elizabeth was the first to reach him. Neal stumbled backward from the force of her hug, the leash slipping out of his hand as he cautiously patted her on the back. "Thank goodness you're home Neal! I was so worried!" Her voice was so shaky that Neal didn't have to look at her to know she was on the verge of tears.

Neal watched as Peter slowly came forward, placing a hand on El's shoulder. She slowly released him with a look that was both stern and relieved. "Neal where were you?" Peter asked, crossing his arms, further wrinkling his button down shirt. Peter's brown eyes were narrowed, demanding an answer.

Neal pushed his shoulders back. Yeah, he may feel guilty for making them worry but that didn't mean he was going to back down to a look like that. "I was out for a walk. I told Elizabeth and Mozzie that."

"A two and a half hour walk?" Peter asked incredulously with an arched brow.

"Look, I'm sorry if I worried everyone but I got distracted. I lost track of time." Peter simply continued to stare at him. Neal had to stop himself from fidgeting under that gaze. "It won't happen again."

"You're right it won't. We were all worried sick, Neal." Neal did look away at that point, the cream colored walls suddenly fascinating. Peter sighed at his lack of response. "We've been pretty lenient with you two up until now but it's time we set some ground rules. As of now your curfew is nine and no late night walks either."

"Really, a curfew, is that really necessary Peter? I was only gone a few hours. I even took Satchmo with me!" Neal argued; he couldn't believe they were already restricting him. Looking to his friend, he could see Mozzie's apologetic look. Apparently Neal was on his own for this one.

"We're the parents in this household. What we say goes, Neal." Neal felt his whole body stiffen. So they already thought they were his parents, huh?

"Peter's right, sweetie." Neal turned his head to Elizabeth, her blue eyes soft.

"Sorry for worrying you." Neal told her quietly.

Elizabeth just smiled at him. "I know." She patted his cheek. "The curfew will give us all a little peace of mind. Okay?" Neal gave a stiff nod. "Alright, now let's heat up dinner and we can all eat." Elizabeth walked out of the living room, leaving the three men alone.

Neal blinked, a little shocked. "You guys didn't eat?"

Peter shook his head, following the path Elizabeth took to the kitchen. "We all eat together. That's the way it works in this house."

Neal and Mozzie were left in the ensuing silence, the sound of plates carrying from the kitchen. "They really were worried," Mozzie told him. Neal simply tilted his head, not saying a word. "Okay, the curfew may be little overboard, but they're just reacting that way because they don't want to feel that way again."

"So they think the best thing to do is to tell me what to do?" Neal asked his tone disbelieving.

"It's not-" Mozzie sighed. "Kids are supposed to have rules. The way we grew isn't how it's supposed to be." Neal wasn't convinced and Mozzie saw it in his face. "I know you don't believe me now, but I hope you will eventually." Mozzie paused again. "You won't do anything drastic, right?"

Mozzie was asking if he'd leave, great now his closest friend didn't even trust him. "I promised I'd wait didn't I?"

Mozzie stared at him intently for a few more seconds. "Yes, you did."

Dinner was quiet. Peter was quick to notice neither boy was talking. That certainly wasn't a promising sign. But what worried Peter the most was that the boys weren't talking to each other. Obviously something had happened when both he and El left the room. Peter wasn't sure if he could be able to find out or if he even should.

"Neal, why don't you help me clean up." Elizabeth broke the silence. Neal stood, nodding as he gathered the dishes. Peter stood as well, but sat back down at a subtle glance from El.

Much later when everyone had settled into their respective beds, Peter still lay awake. He knew he was justified in giving Neal the curfew but he was still taken aback at how he'd reacted. There seemed to be more distant between him and Neal. Peter hated it. He didn't want to do anything that would worsen it but he knew he had to also be strict. He felt so torn.

A warm hand slid across his stomach, making him jump slightly. El's voice was a bit husky from sleep. "You're overthinking," she stated.

"I know. Neal… he just ties me up in knots. I don't know what we'd do without Mozzie helping us."

"I know Peter. These things are going to happen. We both know that."

Peter snorted. "Then why were you worrying about it earlier?"

"That's the mother's job. We worry and hover and then we're understanding about it later on."

"What am I supposed to do, El?" Peter's voice was quiet but it still seemed loud in their room.

"You just be Peter," El told him as she snuggled into his side, laying her head on his shoulder.

Neal was also in bed unable to sleep. When he'd finally come back up to his room he had found most of his paints dry and useless. After he had cleaned those up and somewhat put them away, basically just creating a path through the chaos. That wasn't really what was bothering him though. It was the small object that was in his pocket all night. He had quickly stashed the phone in dresser, buried underneath his clothes. Neal probably could have thrown in out, but Keller seemed to know where ne and Moz were staying. So throwing it out wouldn't do much good besides aggravating Keller.

That's what was bothering him now. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that phone, worrying about when he'd get that call. It was well into the night when Neal's body finally gave into exhaustion.

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